We never give up, we believe in each other, we believe in the coach, we believe in everybody. Only when you believe do you win the Stanley Cup.
Alexander Ovechkin, 2008
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After months of fun and gun during the NHL regular season on the ice, the time has come for the playoffs. They look to be intriguing this year,
Clarence Campbell with the Stanley Cup in 1957
with the addition of teams that many did not think would make it into the playoffs mixing things up. And since I have made an annual habit of doing hockey picks for the playoffs, I couldn’t let these playoffs go by without tossing my two cents out there.
So without further adieu, welcome to this years…
WILDLY INACCURATE PLAYOFF PICKS FOR 2010
As always, lets begin in the Eastern Conference.
(1) WASHINGTON CAPITALS V. (8) MONTREAL CANADIENS: This is a gimme. The caps are firing on all cylinders, coming in confident, with an immensely hot goalie in Jose Theodore, who has, and this fact surprised me, lost only one game in regulation… since January 12th, going 20-0-3 in that span. That is INSANE. The Canadiens on the other hand come in limping, having lost their last 3 games, to the Maple Leafs, Islanders and Hurricanes, having given up 13 goals in those last 3 versus the cellar dwellers of the NHL. No contest. Ovechkin eats Montreal for lunch and quickly moves on.
Caps in 4.
(2) NEW JERSEY DEVILS V. (7) PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: Not so much a gimme here. The Flyers, though they barely made it in, beating the New York Rangers in a shootout to make the playoffs,(bastards) seemingly have the Devils number this season, beating them 5 of the 6 times they played this season. Marty Brodeur looked less than stellar during the Olympics, and for parts of the regular season, and will for that reason, I think, walk into this playoff with a chip on his shoulder, looking to prove he still has it. And seeing how he is still Marty Brodeur, One of the best goalies EVER, I expect big things from the big bastard, but I expect the Flyers will make him work for it.
Devils in 7.
(3) BUFFALO SABRES V (6) BOSTON BRUINS: This should be a good series. I have to say that BTW, my wife is a Bruins fan. Seriously though, Ryan Miller and the rest of the Sabres should have their hands full as they play the not very offensive but strong on defense and in net. The Bruins lack of offense, however, will be their undoing here. The B’s will need more than David Krejci and Marco Sturm and the Big Z to get them to the next round, and since that’s about all they have, they’re done.
Sabres in 6.
(4)PITTSBURGH PENGUINS V. (5) OTTAWA SENATORS: Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to paint a sunny picture for the Senators here. I want to say that with the veteran leadership of Daniel Alfredsson, and Jason Spezza, they will have the firepower to get past the Penguins. I want to say that Brain Elliot with in goal will be more than enough to stuff Sid the Kid and the High flying Penguins. But I can’t. What I will say is that it is awful nice to see them here this year in the playoffs, and I hope they don’t mind leaving so early. Pens are gonna smoke’em
Penguins in 4.
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My feelings I’m sure are like the thousands of other kids who dreamed their entire life of winning and holding the Stanley Cup. I don’t really know how to articulate it and I’ve never seen anybody put the feeling into words properly. We all felt the same way, whether you won it in Montreal, or in Toronto or in Philadelphia. When you win the Stanley Cup after dreaming about it your whole life, for me, that was the highlight of my hockey playing career.
Bobby Clarke
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Western Conference. Let’s do it!
(1) SAN JOSE SHARKS V. (8) COLORADO AVALANCHE: Every year it seems to be the same old thing. The Sharks play PHENOMENALLY during the regular season, and come playoff time, they become the Toronto Maple Leafs, making up for their lack of offense with their lack of defense. And you know what? Until they prove they can win in the first round, they could play an ECHL team in the playoffs and I wouldn’t pick them. The Sharks need to knuckle up, or just stop trying.
Plus, the Lanche are pretty damn good. Matt Duchene is going to have a great first round and Craig Anderson will lead the team to the next round.
Lanche in 6.
(2) CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS V. (7) NASHVILLE PREDATORS: The Blackhawks have been one of the best teams in the league this year, hands down. It would not surprise me if there is a Cup run in their immediate future. That doesn’t mean they can take this Preds team lightly. They haven’t seen this team play in months despite being a division foe, thanks to an odd schedule which saw the two teams play 3 games in October and 3 in December, and not meet up otherwise. The Hawks were 4-2 in those games, and have played a host of playoff teams and played them all tough. But the Hawks will still come out ahead here.
Blackhawks in 6.
(3) VANCOUVER CANUCKS V. (6) LOS ANGELES KINGS: Part of me wants to pick the Canucks. Part of me wants to tell you that Roberto Luongo will be a stone wall in net for the Canucks. Part of me wants to say that the Sedin twins and Alex Burrows are going to have a great series and make life hell for the Kings. And ya know what? I think that part of me is right. The Kings are one helluva team. Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty are great offensive weapons, and Jonathan Quick is…well…quick! He is a great goaltender for this team right now. It’s just their bad luck that they get the Canucks right now.
Canucks in 6.
(4) PHOENIX COYOTES V. (5) DETROIT RED WINGS: It was an off year for the Red Wings this year. No Division title. Finishing 14th overall offensively for the year in points and goals, very sub par for this team, which is normally a juggernaut come playoff time. But that doesn’t matter right here. The Coyotes, for all of their impressiveness this year, are less impressive on the offense than are the Red Wings, and the Wings have goaltending in Jimmy Howard that can more than match the Coyotes Ilya Bryzgalov. I’m picking the playoff experience of the Red Wings O to take it to the Coyotes and knock them out of the playoffs, and quickly at that.
Red Wings in 5.
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I never pay attention to individual awards and I think that sometimes, too many people place too much value on them.
Serge Savard
